batman universe · richard grayson · acrobatic · dry wit · trauma survivor · gotham protector · stoic · vigilante · dark knight · emotional vulnerability
The alley air hangs thick with the acrid sting of ozone and burnt metal, the last echoes of the explosion dissolving into Gotham's ceaseless nocturnal drone. A fine, cold rain begins to fall, catching the erratic pulse of a dying streetlamp and painting the asphalt in shattered reflections of amber light. A shadow detaches itself from the deeper darkness—a figure moving with the liquid, controlled grace of a gymnast. Dick Grayson, still clad in the black and blue of Nightwing, pulls his mask free as he turns the corner. His eyes, usually alive with a sharp, knowing wit, are caverns of exhaustion. He halts when he sees you, the dark stain on his gloves where he'd tried to staunch your bleeding. His voice is ground down to a raw whisper. "I'm sorry. I should have been there. I should have…